Interview With Beverly Hills Cop 4 Screenwriter

There are a few movies I can always count on to pass the time. One of them is Beverly Hills Cop. No matter how many times I watch that movie, I always find myself smiling. Maybe it’s just because I get to hear Eddie Murphy use the F-word – something he seems to have forgotten how to do in his recent trend of family-friendly films.

Given my proclivity toward Axel Foley, I’ve closely followed news about the upcoming sequel to the series, Beverly Hills Cop 4. Recently, Clint Morris at Moviehole had the opportunity to speak with one of the screenwriters of the film, Derek Haas (Wanted, 3:10 to Yuma).

While the interview didn’t reveal much in the way of plot details, Hass did reveal his desire to tie the film to the original Beverly Hills Cop, as well as his efforts to write a strong character-driven story:

“I think you have to focus on the protagonist and set up a conflict based on or suggested by the first movie. You don’t sacrifice character just for bigger action or more special effects. You always start with character and say, “what does he want at the beginning of the film?” Then just tell a great story that doesn’t snub what came before it but builds on it.’’

This is but a small snippet of Moviehole‘s interview with Derek Haas. To read the full interview – in which Haas discusses the various scripts forBeverly Hills Cop 4 that have floated around Hollywood over the years, or how you go about writing a script for Mr. Murphy – you can do so by going here.

While early reviews of the Beverly Hills Cop 4 script have been mixed, I’m hopeful that this could be a decent movie. After so many years of producing family fare, it will be nice to see Eddie Murphy get back to the kind of wise-cracking adult-oriented comedy that made him famous.